Bulgaria presidential vote heads to runoff amid record-low turnout

· Politics · Bulgaria

Bulgaria's presidential election headed to a runoff on November 1 after incumbent President Iliana Yotova failed to win outright on Sunday amid record-low turnout. She will face former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. The vote was coloured by divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine and Sofia's relations with the Kremlin, and took place as the war spread to the waters off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast after deadly drone strikes.

Why it matters：The runoff will indicate whether a Black Sea NATO member moves closer to or further from Moscow at a critical moment in the Ukraine war.

Key points

  • President Iliana Yotova faces former caretaker premier Andrey Gyurov in the November 1 runoff.
  • Turnout hit a record low.
  • The vote was shaped by divisions over the war in Ukraine.

Sources (original reporting)

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